If you are a key stakeholder or have been designated as the administrator of your Salesforce org, you should understand how Salesforce works and how GoldFinch operates within it.
This article introduces the main Salesforce and GoldFinch concepts administrators need to configure, support, and manage the system confidently.
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Designate an Administrator
Every organization using Salesforce and GoldFinch should designate at least one administrator. Larger organizations should designate a primary administrator and a trained backup.
The administrator typically:
- Has elevated system access compared with other users
- Serves as the primary contact for internal system questions and requests
- Understands the organization's business processes and how GoldFinch supports them
- Manages users, permissions, system settings, and approved configuration changes
- Coordinates with GoldFinch Support or the organization's Implementation Specialist
- Serves as the internal project lead during a GoldFinch implementation
- Coordinates testing and user acceptance before changes are deployed to Production
Grant access according to each person's responsibilities. Limit administrative permissions to trained and authorized users.
Understand Salesforce Environments
Salesforce Org
A Salesforce org is an individual Salesforce environment. Each org has its own organization ID, users, configuration, and data.
Your Production environment and each sandbox are separate Salesforce orgs.
Production Org
The Production Org is the live environment where users perform day-to-day business activities and maintain actual company data.
Changes made in Production can affect business operations, integrations, and other users. Whenever possible, configure and test changes in a sandbox before deploying them to Production.
Sandbox Org
A sandbox is a separate Salesforce environment created from Production for configuration, development, testing, training, or user acceptance testing.
The configuration and data included in a sandbox depend on its sandbox type. Changes made in a sandbox do not directly affect Production.
Important: A sandbox is a copy taken at a specific point in time. Later changes to Production are not automatically copied to the sandbox, and sandbox transactions do not update Production.
UAT Sandbox
A User Acceptance Testing (UAT) sandbox confirms that configurations and new functionality meet business requirements before deployment to Production.
During a GoldFinch implementation, the primary testing sandbox is commonly named UAT. Your organization may use a different name.
Sandbox Name and Username
Each sandbox has a name that distinguishes it from Production and other sandboxes. Common examples include UAT, DEV, and QA.
A sandbox username commonly consists of the production username followed by a period and the sandbox name. For example:
tom@goldfinch.com.uat
In this example, uat is the sandbox name.
Log In to Salesforce
Production Login
Use your organization's Salesforce login page or:
Enter your production username and password. If your organization uses single sign-on or a company-specific Salesforce domain, follow your organization's login instructions.
Sandbox Login
Use your organization's sandbox login page or:
Enter your sandbox username and password. If your organization restricts login through test.salesforce.com, use its company-specific sandbox login URL.
Login requirements vary according to your organization's domain, single sign-on configuration, and security policies. Contact your Salesforce administrator if you cannot log in.
Navigate Salesforce and GoldFinch
App Launcher
Select the grid icon in the upper-left corner of Salesforce to open the App Launcher.
The App Launcher lets users find and open the Salesforce and GoldFinch apps available to them.
Salesforce App
A Salesforce app is a collection of related tabs, objects, and features organized for a particular business function.
Salesforce provides standard apps, GoldFinch provides apps for GoldFinch functionality, and authorized administrators can create custom apps when needed.
Setup
Setup is Salesforce's primary administrative area. To open it, select the gear icon in the upper-right corner and then select Setup.
Setup contains tools for managing users, permissions, objects, automation, security, and other system configurations.
Configuration changes can affect GoldFinch processes, integrations, and other users. If you are uncertain about a change, consult your GoldFinch Implementation Specialist or GoldFinch Support before making it.
Object Manager
Object Manager, available in Setup, allows authorized administrators to view and configure Salesforce and GoldFinch objects.
Depending on their permissions and managed-package restrictions, administrators may be able to manage:
- Fields and relationships
- Page Layouts
- Lightning Record Pages
- Record types
- Validation rules
- Buttons, links, and actions
- Object permissions and other settings
Some GoldFinch managed-package components are protected and cannot be viewed or modified directly.
Understand GoldFinch as a Managed Package
GoldFinch is delivered as a Salesforce managed package installed in your org. The package contains the objects, fields, automation, code, and other components required to provide GoldFinch functionality.
To view installed packages:
- Select the gear icon and open Setup.
- Enter Installed Packages in the Quick Find box.
- Select Installed Packages.
Because GoldFinch is a managed package:
- Some components are protected and you can't view or modify them directly.
- Package upgrades may add or update GoldFinch components.
- Your organization can create approved custom fields, layouts, automation, and other extensions around the package.
- Test customizations to confirm they do not interfere with GoldFinch posting routines, calculations, integrations, or upgrades.
Contact GoldFinch Support or your Implementation Specialist before making changes that could affect core GoldFinch functionality.
Understand Why Screens May Look Different
Screens in your Salesforce org may look or function differently from those shown in GoldFinch Help documentation. Salesforce allows each organization to configure its user experience for different business processes and user roles.
Differences may result from:
- App selection
- Page Layout assignments
- Lightning Record Page assignments
- Record types
- User permissions
- Installed features and packages
- Custom fields, buttons, and actions
- Organization-specific configurations
When troubleshooting a difference, first confirm that the user is in the correct org and app. Then review the user's permissions, record type, Page Layout, and Lightning Record Page assignment.
Page Layouts and Lightning Record Pages
Page Layouts
A Page Layout controls which fields, related lists, buttons, and actions are available for an object and the order in which they appear.
An object can have multiple Page Layouts. Salesforce can assign different layouts based on a user's profile and the record's record type.
To view or edit a Page Layout:
- Open a record for the applicable object.
- Select the gear icon.
- Select Edit Object.
- Select Page Layouts in Object Manager.
- Select the Page Layout you want to review or modify.
Note: Adding an object or field to a Page Layout does not give a user permission to access it. Object permissions and field-level security determine whether the user can view or edit the object or field.
Lightning Record Pages
A Lightning Record Page controls the arrangement of components on a record page. Components can include record details, related lists, tabs, reports, dashboards, and custom GoldFinch functionality.
When viewing a record, administrators may see two related options:
- Edit Object opens Object Manager, where you can manage fields, Page Layouts, record types, validation rules, and other object settings.
- Edit Page opens Lightning App Builder, where you can arrange the components displayed on the Lightning Record Page.
A Page Layout controls the fields, actions, and related lists available for a record. A Lightning Record Page controls how components containing that information are arranged on the screen.
You can assign Lightning Record Pages by app, record type, profile, or a combination of these criteria. As a result, different users may see different versions of the same record page.
Visualforce Pages
Some GoldFinch screens may be Visualforce pages. These are custom Salesforce pages designed to support specialized processes.
GoldFinch code may control the fields, buttons, and layout on a Visualforce page rather than the object's standard Page Layout or Lightning Record Page. If you can't make a needed change through Object Manager or Lightning App Builder, contact GoldFinch Support.
Manage User Access
Salesforce controls access through several related features:
- Profiles provide each user with baseline settings and access.
- Permission Sets grant additional permissions without changing the user's profile.
- Permission Set Groups combine related Permission Sets for easier assignment.
- Roles, sharing rules, and organization-wide defaults help control which records a user can access.
Salesforce recommends using a minimum-access profile and granting additional access through Permission Sets and Permission Set Groups whenever practical.
When troubleshooting access, determine whether the issue concerns:
- Access to an app or tab
- Permission to create, read, edit, or delete records for an object
- Access to a specific field
- Access to particular records
- Permission to run a GoldFinch process or administrative function
Page visibility and data access are separate. A field can appear on a Page Layout but remain unavailable because of field-level security. A user may also have access to an object without having access to every record for that object.
Configure Fields and Validation Rules
Authorized administrators can create custom fields and, in some cases, validation rules on Salesforce and GoldFinch objects.
Before adding or changing a field:
- Confirm that an existing standard or GoldFinch field does not already meet the requirement.
- Define the field's purpose, data type, default value, help text, and security requirements.
- Add it only to the Page Layouts and reports where it is needed.
- Test any effect on imports, integrations, automation, and reporting.
A validation rule prevents a record from being saved when specified conditions are met. Validation rules can improve data quality, but they can also block GoldFinch posting routines, batch processes, integrations, and package updates.
Test validation rules in a sandbox with all affected business processes before activating them in Production. Contact GoldFinch Support if a proposed rule applies to fields updated by GoldFinch processes.
Use Flow Builder for Automation
Flow Builder is Salesforce's primary tool for creating declarative automation. Depending on the requirement, a flow can guide a user through a screen-based process, run when a record changes, run on a schedule, or perform other automated actions.
Salesforce ended support for Workflow Rules and Process Builder on December 31, 2025, and recommends migrating automation to Flow Builder. Review and migrate existing legacy automation rather than expand it.
Before creating or modifying a flow that works with GoldFinch data:
- Define the business requirement and expected result.
- Identify all records and fields the flow will read or update.
- Check for existing flows, validation rules, Apex code, and GoldFinch processes that affect the same records.
- Avoid automation that repeatedly updates the same record or creates circular processing.
- Include appropriate fault handling and administrative notifications.
- Test normal transactions, exceptions, imports, integrations, batch processing, and bulk record volumes in a sandbox.
- Obtain user acceptance before deploying the flow to Production.
Automation that changes transaction status, quantities, costs, posting fields, or accounting data requires particular care. Consult GoldFinch Support or your Implementation Specialist when a flow could affect GoldFinch business logic.
Understand Custom Development
Salesforce supports custom development through tools such as Apex, Lightning Web Components, Visualforce, APIs, and platform events.
Custom development can extend GoldFinch when configuration alone cannot meet a business requirement. Qualified Salesforce professionals should design, test, and maintain it, with a strong understanding of both the Salesforce platform and the affected GoldFinch processes.
Before developing custom functionality:
- Confirm that GoldFinch or Salesforce already provides the required functionality.
- Document the business requirement, affected processes, security needs, and expected results.
- Review the proposed design with the appropriate business owner and technical team.
- Build and test the solution in a sandbox.
- Test bulk processing, error handling, permissions, integrations, and GoldFinch package upgrades where applicable.
- Obtain user acceptance before deployment to Production.
- Document the solution and assign an owner for future maintenance.
Do not modify or attempt to bypass protected GoldFinch components. If you have an idea for new GoldFinch functionality, contact the GoldFinch team. The requested feature may already exist, be in development, or be under consideration for a future release.
Recommended Change-Management Process
Use a controlled process for configuration, automation, and custom-development changes:
- Define the requirement. Describe the business problem, users affected, and expected result.
- Assess the impact. Identify affected objects, fields, reports, integrations, automations, and GoldFinch processes.
- Configure in a sandbox. Avoid making untested changes directly in Production.
- Test the complete process. Include normal scenarios, exceptions, permissions, integrations, and bulk processing.
- Complete user acceptance testing. Ask business owners to confirm that the change meets the requirement.
- Deploy to Production. Use an approved deployment method and schedule.
- Verify after deployment. Confirm that the change works correctly in Production.
- Document the change. Record its purpose, configuration, test results, deployment date, and owner.
Maintain a rollback plan for changes that could materially affect business operations.
When to Contact GoldFinch Support
Contact GoldFinch Support or your Implementation Specialist before making a change when:
- You are uncertain whether a component belongs to Salesforce, GoldFinch, or a customization.
- The change affects inventory quantities, costing, posting, accounting, document creation, or transaction status.
- A validation rule, flow, trigger, or integration will update GoldFinch records.
- A managed-package component appears protected or cannot be changed.
- The same process behaves differently in Production and a sandbox.
- You need help evaluating how a change will affect a future GoldFinch upgrade.
When requesting assistance, provide the org and sandbox name, affected record links or IDs, steps to reproduce the issue, expected result, actual result, and screenshots when appropriate. Do not include passwords, security codes, or other credentials.
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